Mobile station and method for implementing variable bandwidth service on demand

ABSTRACT

A mobile station for communicating with a wireless network comprising a plurality of base stations. The mobile station comprises: 1) a first receive path capable of receiving data on a first carrier; and 2) a second receive path capable of receiving data on a second carrier, wherein the mobile station is capable of receiving a first control message from the wireless network assigning the mobile station to receive data on the first carrier and assigning the mobile station to receive data on the second carrier.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION AND CLAIM OF PRIORITY

The present invention is related to that disclosed in U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application Ser. No. 60/573,361, filed May 21, 2004, entitled“Variable Bandwide”. Application Ser. No. 60/573,361 is assigned to theassignee of the present application. The subject matter disclosed inApplication Ser. No. 60/573,361 is hereby incorporated by reference intothe present disclosure as if fully set forth herein. The presentapplication claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to Application Ser.No. 60/573,361.

The present invention is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 10/928,584, filed Aug. 27, 2004, entitled “WirelessNetwork and Mobile Stations for Implementing Variable Bandwidth Serviceon Demand.” application Ser. No. 10/928,584 is assigned to the assigneeof the present application. The subject matter disclosed in applicationSer. No. 10/928,584 is hereby incorporated by reference into the presentdisclosure as if fully set forth herein. The present application herebyclaims priority under 35 U.S.C. §120 to application Ser. No. 10/928,584.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to wireless communications and,more specifically, to a wireless network that implements variablebandwidth service on demand and mobile stations for operating in such awireless network.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Wireless communication systems have become ubiquitous in society.Consumers use a wide range of devices and networks, including cellularphones, paging devices, personal communication services (PCS) systems,and wireless data networks. Wireless service providers are creating newmarkets for wireless devices and expanding existing markets by makingwireless devices and services cheaper and more reliable. Wirelessservice providers attract new customers by reducing infrastructure costsand operating costs, by increasing handset battery life, and improvingquality of service, and new and better features.

Wireless service providers may improve the quality and variety ofservices in a number of ways, including providing data services to thelatest generation of mobile stations (e.g., cell phones, wirelesslaptops) and other wireless terminals. A number of technologies are ableto deliver data services (e.g., web browsing, e-mail) or a mixture ofvoice and data services. For instance, in CDMA2000 (or IS-2000)technology, IS-2000-1xEV-DO networks provide data service andIS-2000-1xEV-DV provide voice and data services.

However, the services provided by conventional wireless networks arelimited in large part by the frequency assignments (or carriers) of eachnetwork. It is noted that the term “frequency assignment” and “carrier”are used synonymously herein. The term “frequency assignment” is morecommonly used in Europe and Asia and the term “carrier” is more commonlyused in North America. Conventional base stations and mobile stationsare limited to transmitting and receiving on a particular carrier (orfrequency assignment). For example, an IS-2000-1xEV-DO network has afrequency assignment (FA) that limits the transmission of data to themaximum bandwidth of the forward channel carrier. Similarly, anIS-2000-1xEV-DV network has a frequency assignment (FA) that has alimited number of carriers for transmitting voice to a mobile stationand a limited number of carriers for transmitting data to a mobilestation.

In either type of network, if a mobile station must receive a largeburst of data, the downlink (or forward channel) bandwidth is limited bythe frequency assignment of the network. Mobile stations rarely need tooperate at very high data rates, so the bandwidth of the carrier in eachnetwork is generally suited to meet the average bandwidth requirementsof mobile stations. Thus, when a mobile station does experience a demandpeak, the carrier limitations of the downlink cause delays and loss ofdata.

Therefore, there is a need in the art for improved wireless networkshaving increased downlink capacity. In particular, there is a need forwireless networks and wireless terminals that are not limited byinflexible frequency assignments of the wireless network.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention improves wireless service by proving variablebandwidth to mobile stations on demand. The present invention is suitedto many different types of wireless technologies, but is particularlysuited for implementation with IS-2000-1xEV-DV networks. The presentinvention uses base stations that have N carriers or frequencyassignments (FAs). These base stations communicate withvariable-bandwidth (VB) mobile stations that are capable ofsimultaneously operating on N carriers. In a typical embodiment, N=2, sothat the base stations and mobile stations operate on two carriers,namely a first carrier or frequency assignment (FA1) and a secondcarrier or frequency assignment (FA2). However, in alternate embodimentsof the present invention, N may be 3 or 4, or greater.

To address the above-discussed deficiencies of the prior art, it is aprimary object of the present invention to provide a mobile stationcapable of communicating with a wireless network comprising a pluralityof base stations. According to an advantageous embodiment of the presentinvention, the mobile station comprises: 1) a first receive path capableof receiving data on a first carrier; and 2) a second receive pathcapable of receiving data on a second carrier, wherein the mobilestation is capable of receiving a first control message from thewireless network assigning the mobile station to receive data on thefirst carrier and assigning the mobile station to receive data on thesecond carrier.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the first controlmessage assigns the mobile station to receive data on the first carrierduring normal traffic conditions and assigns the mobile station toreceive data on the second carrier during peak traffic conditions.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the mobilestation is capable of transmitting a second control message to the firstbase station identifying a receiver capability of the mobile station.

According to still another embodiment of the present invention, thefirst receive path receives data simultaneously with the second receivepath receiving data.

According to yet another embodiment of the present invention, the firstand second receive paths of the mobile station are capable of beingdynamically assigned to operate on the first and second carriers basedon changes in traffic demand.

According to a further embodiment of the present invention, the mobilestation is capable of requesting that additional bandwidth in a forwardchannel be assigned to the first mobile station.

According to a still further embodiment of the present invention, themobile station requests the additional bandwidth on the second carrierin response to a determination that the first carrier does not providesufficient bandwidth.

Before undertaking the DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION below, itmay be advantageous to set forth definitions of certain words andphrases used throughout this patent document: the terms “include” and“comprise,” as well as derivatives thereof, mean inclusion withoutlimitation; the term “or,” is inclusive, meaning and/or; the phrases“associated with” and “associated therewith,” as well as derivativesthereof, may mean to include, be included within, interconnect with,contain, be contained within, connect to or with, couple to or with, becommunicable with, cooperate with, interleave, juxtapose, be proximateto, be bound to or with, have, have a property of, or the like; and theterm “controller” means any device, system or part thereof that controlsat least one operation, such a device may be implemented in hardware,firmware or software, or some combination of at least two of the same.It should be noted that the functionality associated with any particularcontroller may be centralized or distributed, whether locally orremotely. Definitions for certain words and phrases are providedthroughout this patent document, those of ordinary skill in the artshould understand that in many, if not most instances, such definitionsapply to prior, as well as future uses of such defined words andphrases.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of the present invention and itsadvantages, reference is now made to the following description taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like referencenumerals represent like parts:

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary wireless network that implementsvariable bandwidth service on demand according to the principles of thepresent invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary base station that implements variablebandwidth service on demand according to an exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary mobile station in a Type 1 configurationaccording to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary mobile station in a Type 2 configurationaccording to one embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating the operation of BS 101 and MS 111according to the principles of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIGS. 1 through 5, discussed below, and the various embodiments used todescribe the principles of the present invention in this patent documentare by way of illustration only and should not be construed in any wayto limit the scope of the invention. Those skilled in the art willunderstand that the principles of the present invention may beimplemented in any suitably arranged wireless network.

FIG. 1 illustrates exemplary wireless network 100, which implementsvariable bandwidth on-demand service according to the principles of thepresent invention. Wireless network 100 comprises a plurality of cellsites 121-123, each containing one of the base stations, BS 101, BS 102,or BS 103. Base stations 101-103 communicate with a plurality of mobilestations (MS) 111-114 using, for example, the CDMA2000 air interfacestandard. Mobile stations 111-114 may be any suitable wireless devices(e.g., conventional cell phones, PCS handsets, personal digitalassistant (PDA) handsets, portable computers, telemetry devices) thatare capable of communicating with base stations 101-103 via wirelesslinks.

In an advantageous embodiment of the present invention, mobile stations111-114 are capable of receiving data traffic and/or voice traffic ontwo or more channels in a carrier simultaneously. Mobile stations111-114 are also capable of receiving data traffic and/or voice trafficon two or more carriers or frequency assignments simultaneously. A firstcarrier (or frequency assignment) is referred to as “FA1” and a secondcarrier (or frequency assignment) is referred to as “FA2”.

The present invention is not limited to communicating with mobiledevices. The present invention also encompasses other types of wirelessaccess terminals, including fixed wireless terminals. For the sake ofsimplicity, only mobile stations are shown and discussed hereafter.However, it should be understood that the use of the term “mobilestation” in the claims and in the description below is intended toencompass both truly mobile devices (e.g., cell phones, wirelesslaptops) and stationary wireless terminals (e.g., a machine monitor withwireless capability).

Dotted lines show the approximate boundaries of cell sites 121-123 inwhich base stations 101-103 are located. The cell sites are shownapproximately circular for the purposes of illustration and explanationonly. It should be clearly understood that the cell sites may have otherirregular shapes, depending on the cell configuration selected andnatural and man-made obstructions.

As is well known in the art, each of cell sites 121-123 is comprised ofa plurality of sectors, where a directional antenna system coupled tothe base station illuminates each sector. The embodiment of FIG. 1illustrates the base station in the center of the cell. Alternateembodiments may position the directional antennas in corners of thesectors. The system of the present invention is not limited to anyparticular cell site configuration.

In one embodiment of the present invention, each of BS 101, BS 102 andBS 103 comprises a base station controller (BSC) and one or more basetransceiver subsystem(s) (BTS). Base station controllers and basetransceiver subsystems are well known to those skilled in the art. Abase station controller is a device that manages wireless communicationsresources, including the base transceiver subsystems, for specifiedcells within a wireless communications network. A base transceiversubsystem comprises the RF transceivers, antennas, and other electricalequipment located in each cell site. This equipment may include airconditioning units, heating units, electrical supplies, telephone lineinterfaces and RF transmitters and RF receivers. For the purpose ofsimplicity and clarity in explaining the operation of the presentinvention, the base transceiver subsystems in each of cells 121, 122 and123 and the base station controller associated with each basetransceiver subsystem are collectively represented by BS 101, BS 102 andBS 103, respectively.

BS 101, BS 102 and BS 103 transfer voice and data signals between eachother and the public switched telephone network (PSTN) (not shown) viacommunication line 131 and mobile switching center (MSC) 140. BS 101, BS102 and BS 103 also transfer data signals, such as packet data, with theInternet (not shown) via communication line 131 and packet data servernode (PDSN) 150. Packet control function (PCF) unit 190 controls theflow of data packets between base stations 101-103 and PDSN 150. PCFunit 190 may be implemented as part of PDSN 150, as part of MSC 140, oras a stand-alone device that communicates with PDSN 150, as shown inFIG. 1. Line 131 also provides the connection path for control signalstransmitted between MSC 140 and BS 101, BS 102 and BS 103 that establishconnections for voice and data circuits between MSC 140 and BS 101, BS102 and BS 103.

Communication line 131 may be any suitable connection means, including aT1 line, a T3 line, a fiber optic link, a network packet data backboneconnection, or any other type of data connection. Line 131 links eachvocoder in the BSC with switch elements in MSC 140. The connections online 131 may transmit analog voice signals or digital voice signals inpulse code modulated (PCM) format, Internet Protocol (IP) format,asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) format, or the like.

MSC 140 is a switching device that provides services and coordinationbetween the subscribers in a wireless network and external networks,such as the PSTN or Internet. MSC 140 is well known to those skilled inthe art. In some embodiments of the present invention, communicationsline 131 may be several different data links where each data linkcouples one of BS 101, BS 102, or BS 103 to MSC 140.

In the exemplary wireless network 100, MS 111 is located in cell site121 and is in communication with BS 101. MS 113 is located in cell site122 and is in communication with BS 102. MS 114 is located in cell site123 and is in communication with BS 103. MS 112 is also located close tothe edge of cell site 123 and is moving in the direction of cell site123, as indicated by the direction arrow proximate MS 112. At somepoint, as MS 112 moves into cell site 123 and out of cell site 121, ahand-off will occur.

FIG. 2 illustrates exemplary base station 101 in greater detailaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Basestation 101 comprises base station controller (BSC) 210 and basetransceiver station (BTS) 220. Base station controllers and basetransceiver stations were described previously in connection withFIG. 1. BSC 210 manages the resources in cell site 121, including BTS220. BSC 210 comprises variable bandwidth controller 290, among otherfunctional components. BTS 120 comprises BTS controller 225, channelcontroller 235 (which contains representative channel element 240),transceiver interface (IF) 245, RF transceiver unit 250, and antennaarray 255.

BTS controller 225 comprises processing circuitry and memory capable ofexecuting an operating program that controls the overall operation ofBTS 220 and communicates with BSC 210. Under normal conditions, BTScontroller 225 directs the operation of channel controller 235, whichcontains a number of channel elements, including channel element 240,that perform bi-directional communications in the forward channel andthe reverse channel. A forward channel transmits outbound signals fromthe base station to the mobile station and a reverse channel transmitsinbound signals from the mobile station to the base station. TransceiverIF 245 transfers the bi-directional channel signals between channelcontroller 240 and RF transceiver unit 250.

Antenna array 255 transmits forward channel signals received from RFtransceiver unit 250 to mobile stations in the coverage area of BS 101.Antenna array 255 also sends to transceiver 250 reverse channel signalsreceived from mobile stations in the coverage area of BS 101. In apreferred embodiment of the present invention, antenna array 255 ismulti-sector antenna, such as a three-sector antenna in which eachantenna sector is responsible for transmitting and receiving in a 120°arc of coverage area. Additionally, transceiver 250 may contain anantenna selection unit to select among different antennas in antennaarray 255 during both transmit and receive operations.

According to the principles of the present invention, antenna array 255comprises a plurality of antennas capable of transmitting and receivingon N different carriers. For example, if N=2, then antenna array 255 maycomprise a first antenna that operates on a first carrier (FA1) and asecond antenna that operates on a second carrier (FA2). In alternateembodiments of the present invention, BS 101 may use more than twocarriers (i.e., N=3, N=4, etc.), in which case, antenna array 255 maytransmit and receive on additional carriers (e.g., FA3, FA4).

Variable bandwidth controller 290 is capable of receiving from mobilestations accessing BS 101 control messages that indicate thecapabilities of the mobile stations. For example, when MS 111 accessesBS 101, MS 111 may transmit an Origination message containing a Typefield that indicates the type of transceiver configuration in MS 111.The use of the Origination message to convey the Type field is by way ofexample only and should not be construed in a manner that limits thescope of the present invention. Those skilled in the art will appreciatethat the present invention may be easily modified to use other protocolmessages to convey the Type field to variable bandwidth controller 290.

The Type field may indicate that MS 111 is a Type 0 device that uses asingle receive path to receive on only one carrier. For instance, aconventional 1xEV-DV or 1xEv-DO mobile station would be a Type 0 device.Alternatively, the Type field may indicate that MS 111 is Type 1 devicethat uses two receivers to receive on two carriers. In anotheralternative, the Type field may indicate that MS 111 is a Type 2 devicethat uses four receivers in a diversity configuration to receive on twocarriers.

Variable bandwidth controller 290 uses the Type field to determine thedownlink (or forward channel) capability of MS 111. Depending on thenumber of receive paths in MS 111, variable bandwidth controller 290 maymodify the number of carriers and channels used to transmit data to MS111. Variable bandwidth controller 290 may use a message such as theExtended Channel Assignment Message (ECAM) to assign MS 111 to receiveon two or more carriers. The use of the ECAM to configure MS 111 is byway of example only and should not be construed in a manner that limitsthe scope of the present invention. Those skilled in the art willappreciate that the present invention may be easily modified to useother protocol messages to configure the receive paths of MS 111.

BS 101 may transmit data to MS 111 using a single carrier, such as FA1.However, BS 101 also may alternate transmission on the FA1 and FA2carriers in order to provide time and coding diversity. For example, BS101 may transmit odd-numbered data packets on FA1 during odd-numberedtime slots and may transmit even-numbered data packets on FA2 duringeven-numbered time slots. Alternatively, BS 101 may transmitodd-numbered data packets on FA1 during all time slots whilesimultaneously transmitting even-numbered data packets on FA2 during alltime slots.

The implementation of variable bandwidth controller 290 in BSC 210 is byway of illustration only and should not be construed in a manner thatlimits the scope of the present invention. In an alternate embodiment,variable bandwidth controller 290 may be implemented in BTS 220 or in anexternal device coupled to BS 101.

FIG. 3 illustrates exemplary mobile station 111 in a Type 1configuration according to one embodiment of the present invention. MS111 is shown as a high-level block diagram. BS 101 transmits data to MS111 using two antennas. Antenna 301 transmits voice and/or data on afirst carrier or frequency assignment (FA1). Antenna 302 transmits voiceand/or data on a second carrier or frequency assignment (FA2).

MS 111 comprises antennas 311 and 312, FA1 transmit path 321, FA1receive path 322, FA1 baseband processor 324, FA2 transmit path 331, FA2receive path 332, FA2 baseband processor 334, data stream combiner 340and IF and peripherals block 350. FA1 transmit path 321 and FA1 receivepath 322 communicate with antenna 301 on carrier FA1. FA2 transmit path331 and FA2 receive path 332 communicate with antenna 302 on carrierFA2. According to the exemplary embodiment in FIG. 2, MS 111 implementsquadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) modulation, so that FA1 transmitpath 321 and FA1 receive path 322 each have an in-phase (I) componentand a quadrature (Q) component. Similarly, FA2 transmit path 331 and FA2receive path 332 each have an in-phase (I) component and a quadrature(Q) component.

In the forward channel, FA1 baseband processor 324 performs thenecessary decoding and other baseband processing functions to recoverthe forward channel data from antenna 301. Similarly, FA2 basebandprocessor 334 performs the necessary decoding and other basebandprocessing functions to recover the forward channel data from antenna302. The recovered data from FA1 baseband processor 324 and FA2 basebandprocessor 334 are sent to data stream combiner 340 in order to combinethe data from each carrier. The combined data stream is then sent to IFand peripherals block 350, which represents the user and/or machineinterfaces and peripherals associated with MS 111, such as displayscreen, speakers, memory, and the like.

FIG. 4 illustrates exemplary mobile station 111 in a Type 2configuration according to one embodiment of the present invention. MS111 is shown as a high-level block diagram. BS 101 transmits data to MS111 using two antennas. Antenna 401 transmits voice and/or data on afirst carrier or frequency assignment (FA1). Antenna 402 transmits voiceand/or data on a second carrier or frequency assignment (FA2). However,MS 111 uses an antenna diversity configuration to improve reception andincrease the data rate in the downlink.

MS 111 comprises antennas 411 and 412, FA1 transmit path 421, FA1 mainreceive path 432, FA1 diversity receive path 423, FA1 baseband processor424, FA2 transmit path 431, FA2 main receive path 432, FA2 diversityreceive path 433, FA2 baseband processor 434, data stream combiner 440and IF and peripherals block 450. FA1 transmit path 421, FA1 mainreceive path 422, and FA1 diversity receive path 423 communicate withantenna 401 on carrier FA1. FA2 transmit path 431, FA2 main receive path432, and FA2 diversity receive path 433 communicate with antenna 402 oncarrier FA2. According to the exemplary embodiment in FIG. 2, MS 111implements quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) modulation, so that FA1transmit path 421, FA1 main receive path 422, and FA1 diversity receivepath 423 each have an in-phase (I) component and a quadrature (Q)component. Similarly, FA2 transmit path 431, FA2 main receive path 432,and FA2 diversity receive path 433 each have an in-phase (I) componentand a quadrature (Q) component.

In the forward channel, FA1 baseband processor 424 performs thenecessary decoding and other baseband processing functions to recoverthe forward channel data from antenna 401. Similarly, FA2 basebandprocessor 434 performs the necessary decoding and other basebandprocessing functions to recover the forward channel data from antenna402. The recovered data from FA1 baseband processor 424 and FA2 basebandprocessor 434 are sent to data stream combiner 440 in order to combinethe data from each carrier. The combined data stream is then sent to IFand peripherals block 450, which represents the user and/or machineinterfaces and peripherals associated with MS 111, such as displayscreen, speakers, memory, and the like.

FIG. 5 depicts flow diagram 500, which illustrates the operation of BS101 and MS 111 according to the principles of the present invention.Initially, variable-bandwidth (VB) mobile station (MS) 111 requestsservice from BS 101 (process step 505). Variable bandwidth controller290 then determines the capabilities of VB-MS 111 (process step 510).Depending on the capabilities of VB-MS 111, BSC 210 sets up forward andreverse channels on the FA1 and FA2 carriers for use by VB-MS 111(process step 515). In response to commands received from BSC 210, VB-MS111 then sets up the receive paths and the transmit paths to communicateon the forward and reverse channels on the FA1 and FA2 carriersestablished by BSC 210 (process step 520).

Thereafter, during routine operation, BS 101 and MS 101 communicate onthe optimum number of channels on the FA1 and FA2 carriers to handle theaverage throughput (process step 525). However, during peak traffic, BS101 and MS 101 may communicate on increased number of channels on theFA1 and FA2 carriers, depending on demand (process step 530). Theincrease demand may be determined by MS 111, which may requestadditional bandwidth on the FA1 and FA2 carriers. Alternative, BSC 210may determine that additional bandwidth is required for a particularapplication and simply assign the additional bandwidth on the FA1 andFA2 carriers to MS 111.

Advantageously, the increased frequency spectrum and the time and codingdiversification greatly improve the average throughput. The presentinvention does not require dedicated hardware at the base station forimplementation in 1xEV-DV networks. Also, since two carriers are used,it is possible to do a soft handover of a mobile station from FA1carrier to FA2 carrier and vice versa.

Although the present invention has been described with an exemplaryembodiment, various changes and modifications may be suggested to oneskilled in the art. It is intended that the present invention encompasssuch changes and modifications as fall within the scope of the appendedclaims.

1. A mobile station capable of communicating with a wireless networkcomprising a plurality of base stations, said mobile station comprising:a first receive path capable of receiving data on a first carrier; and asecond receive path capable of receiving data on a second carrier,wherein said mobile station is capable of receiving a first controlmessage from said wireless network assigning said mobile station toreceive data on said first carrier and assigning said mobile station toreceive data on said second carrier.
 2. The mobile station as set forthin claim 1, wherein said first control message assigns said mobilestation to receive data on said first carrier during normal trafficconditions and assigns said mobile station to receive data on saidsecond carrier during peak traffic conditions.
 3. The mobile station asset forth in claim 2, wherein said mobile station is capable oftransmitting a second control message to said first base stationidentifying a receiver capability of said mobile station.
 4. The mobilestation as set forth in claim 3, wherein said first receive pathreceives data simultaneously with said second receive path receivingdata.
 5. The mobile station as set forth in claim 4, wherein said firstand second receive paths of said mobile station are capable of beingdynamically assigned to operate on said first and second carriers basedon changes in traffic demand.
 6. The mobile station as set forth inclaim 5, wherein said mobile station is capable of requesting thatadditional bandwidth in a forward channel be assigned to said firstmobile station.
 7. The mobile station as set forth in claim 6, whereinsaid mobile station requests said additional bandwidth on said secondcarrier in response to a determination that said first carrier does notprovide sufficient bandwidth.
 8. The mobile station as set forth inclaim 6, wherein said first receive path receives data on said firstcarrier from a first one of said plurality of base stations and saidsecond receive path receives data on said second carrier from said firstbase station.
 9. The mobile station as set forth in claim 6, whereinsaid first receive path receives data on said first carrier from a firstone of said plurality of base stations and said second receive pathreceives data on said second carrier from a second one of said pluralityof base stations different from said first base station.
 10. The mobilestation as set forth in claim 3, wherein said wireless network is anIS-2000 compatible network.
 11. A mobile station capable ofcommunicating with a wireless network comprising a plurality of basestations, said mobile station comprising: a first main receive pathcapable of receiving data on a first carrier; a first diversity receivepath associated with said first main receive path capable of receivingdata on said first carrier; a second main receive path capable ofreceiving data on a second carrier; and a second diversity receive pathassociated with said second main receive path capable of receiving dataon said second carrier, wherein said mobile station is capable ofreceiving a first control message from said wireless network assigningsaid mobile station to receive data on said first carrier and assigningsaid mobile station to receive data on said second carrier.
 12. Themobile station as set forth in claim 11, wherein said first controlmessage assigns said mobile station to receive data on said firstcarrier during normal traffic conditions and assigns said mobile stationto receive data on said second carrier during peak traffic conditions.13. The mobile station as set forth in claim 12, wherein said mobilestation is capable of transmitting a second control message to saidfirst base station identifying a receiver capability of said mobilestation.
 14. The mobile station as set forth in claim 13, wherein saidfirst main receive path and said first diversity receive path receivedata simultaneously with said second main receive path and said seconddiversity receive path receiving data.
 15. The mobile station as setforth in claim 14, wherein said first and second main receive paths andsaid first and second diversity receive paths of said mobile station arecapable of being dynamically assigned to operate on said first andsecond carriers based on changes in traffic demand.
 16. The mobilestation as set forth in claim 15, wherein said mobile station is capableof requesting that additional bandwidth in a forward channel be assignedto said first mobile station.
 17. The mobile station as set forth inclaim 16, wherein said mobile station requests said additional bandwidthon said second carrier in response to a determination that said firstcarrier does not provide sufficient bandwidth.
 18. The mobile station asset forth in claim 16, wherein said first main receive path and saidfirst diversity receive path receive data on said first carrier from afirst one of said plurality of base stations and said second mainreceive path and said second diversity receive path receive data on saidsecond carrier from said first base station.
 19. The mobile station asset forth in claim 16, wherein said first main receive path and saidfirst diversity receive path receive data on said first carrier from afirst one of said plurality of base stations and said second mainreceive path and said second diversity receive path receive data on saidsecond carrier from a second one of said plurality of base stationsdifferent from said first base station.
 20. The mobile station as setforth in claim 13, wherein said wireless network is an IS-2000compatible network.